William V. (Bill) Levy has had a distinguished career as an award-winning journalist and video producer, marketing executive, and author of nine books. Among his book projects was ghostwriting Dr. Sam Sheppard’s autobiography Endure and Conquer, which chronicled the murder of his pregnant wife and his long battle to clear his name for the crime. Levy covered the murder from day one as a wire service journalist and brought a unique perspective to the work, having chronicled the case throughout the murder investigation, first trial, and appeals.

After being convicted of second-degree murder and serving a decade in the Ohio Penitentiary, Sheppard was freed by a federal judge who ruled that he did not receive a fair trial because of the circus-like media coverage. Upon his release from prison, Sheppard signed a contract with World Publishing Company to publish his autobiography. Levy, already working on projects for World, was chosen to assist Sheppard in documenting his story.

A native of the Cleveland area, Levy recorded interviews with Sheppard about the case, his years in prison, and his decade-long battle for freedom. The book was published a week after Sheppard’s conviction was overturned in a second trial in the fall of 1966. Levy donated all of the recordings to the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Levy began his journalistic career with International News Service in 1951 and eventually operated public relations and video production companies bearing his name. Today he is president of Bill Levy Productions, Inc., a full-service video firm. Levy’s other non-fiction books include Return to Glory: The Story of the Cleveland Browns, Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust: The Ohio State Football Story, and The Derby. He is also the author of one novel, Knockoff.